Once in a great while, I am reminded of the magic – the magic that exists within us all, that life-force that sometimes – albeit shyly, and humbly – picks up the bat, steps up to the plate, and knocks the ball out of the park, not because it needed to or wanted to, but because it was destined to do so all along.
A woman named Susan Boyle – who some would describe (and dismiss) as a frumpy, unattractive-but-endearingly-ditzy, not-ready-for-prime-time player, dominated YouTube this week with a clip of her incredible performance on “Britain’s Got Talent”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZYMany will dismiss this post as sentimental clap-trap – and there was a time when I would have been first among their ranks.
But there is something of the
spirit of things here – something that speaks of the
hope of at last being recognized for what one has to offer, and the
change that takes place within our hearts and minds when we ignore the stereotype and welcome the voice of a fellow world citizen – a voice that thrills us with its clarity and beauty.
We, as human beings, are capable of war, destruction, torture, the starvation of children, the ability to turn a blind eye to the suffering of millions while decrying the inconvenience of the few.
And yet we have, in the midst of the din of chaos, created this nonsensical thing called music – and have, perhaps inadvertently and sometimes reluctantly, come to appreciate its ability to bring us together.
Perhaps there is hope for us yet.
I think so.
I hope so.
Okay – I
know so.
Ever the optimist.
--- Nance
(A special shout-out to fellow DUer, RonnyKMarshall, for turning me on to all of this – and then some.)